ComboBox control
A ComboBox control is a combination of a drop-down list and a text field. The drop-down list contains a series of predefined text values; the currently selected one is shown in the text field. The associated text field may be editable; in that case, it allows the user to enter values that do not appear in the list. If it's not editable, the selection is restricted to the list values. There is no visual clue that indicates whether the text field is read-only or not.
Each ComboBox control is linked to an symbolic variable. When the selection in the control changes, the variable's value is updated accordingly. The variable itself can be used in conditions elsewhere; this allows you to use combo boxes to control the installer's actions or component selection.
To define the list values that are associated with the drop-down list, right-click on the control and choose New List Value from the popup menu. This creates a new List Value item where you can define the display text and the associated value. Repeat this procedure for all the values that must go into the drop-down list.
The order in which the list values appear as children of the ComboBox control in the Dialogs tree determines the order in which they appear in the drop-down list, unless you check the Sorted option (see below). You can move the list values up and down in the tree to change the list order.
Tip: To change the tab and Z-order of a control in a dialog box (i.e., the order in which they are drawn and how they appear "on top" of each other), select the control in the dialog/control tree in the left pane on the Dialogs project page, then use Ctrl+Up and Ctrl+Down to move the control up or down in the order. These keystrokes are shortcuts for the Move Up and Move Down commands on the control's context menu.
Attributes
The following attributes and options are available.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Control name | Enter the internal name for the control. This name is for use in InstallMate only; it is not used in the installer. All control names must be unique within their parent dialog box. |
| Control ID | Select a control ID from the drop-down list or type a numerical ID to use for this control. All controls within a dialog must have different control IDs. For ComboBox controls, you should select Automatic. See Dialog control IDs for an explanation of the available control IDs and their usage. |
| Combo style | Select the desired ComboBox control style from the drop-down list. The following choices are available:
|
| Input filter | Select the desired input filter from the drop-down list. The following choices are available:
Note: The Filter option only applies to text entered by the user; text loaded from the linked symbol (below) is not filtered. |
| Symbol name | Enter the name of the symbolic variable to which the control must be linked, or click ... (browse) to open the Select Symbolic Variable dialog box that allows you to select a variable from the project. The control will display the value of the linked variable and will be updated automatically whenever the variable's value changes. Conversely, the variable's value will be updated if the user enters text in the ComboBox' edit field or selects a different value from its drop-down list. |
| Indirect symbol | Check this box to make the Symbol name link indirect; clear it for a direct link. If the link is indirect, the variable specified in the Symbol name field is used to obtain the name of a second variable, and it is this second variable whose value is monitored and updated by the control. With a direct link, the variable specified by the Symbol name attribute itself is monitored and updated. |
| Font | Select the font style for the text in the control by clicking ... (browse) to open the Select Font Style dialog. If no font style is selected, the control uses the parent dialog's font style. You can remove the font style by clicking X (clear). |
| Sort list items | Check this box to sort the list values in the drop-down list alphabetically; clear it to keep them in the order in which they appear in the project. |
| Automatic horizontal scroll |
Check this box to scroll the text in the control's edit field automatically when the user enters text beyond the width of the edit control; clear it to prevent text entry beyond the width of the control. |
| Enabled Tab stop Group Border Sunken Client edge Visible Transparent Don't mirror |
These are all standard control styles; see Dialog control styles for a description. |
| Condition | Enter the display condition for the control or leave empty to display the control unconditionally. See Dialog control conditions for more information. |